Roadside Bomb Kills 19 In Afghanistan

“A minibus struck a roadside bomb while driving in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, triggering an explosion that killed 19 Afghan civilians, officials said. The vehicle was driving on a road in Helmand province’s volatile Sangin district — a Taliban stronghold — when it hit the bomb, said Daoud Ahmadi, a spokesman for the Helmand government.” (The Associated Press)

Ahmadi said at least five children were killed, the AP adds. Al-Jazeera quotes Mohammad Ismail, a local security force commander, as saying the other victims included seven women from the same family.